Oh no!
A wolf lunged straight at her!
But the taller goblin heard his little sister’s terrified scream.
He spun around without a moment’s hesitation and charged back with a raw, desperate roar. Raising his crude wooden club, he swung with every ounce of strength left in his battered body.
BAM!
The club slammed into the wolf’s snout!
The massive beast yelped and staggered sideways, letting out a sharp, pained whimper.
But of course...
It wasn’t nearly enough!
The wolf violently shook its head, sending rain flying from its thick fur. Its glowing eyes locked back onto the goblin, burning with even greater fury.
Then another wolf lunged from the side!
Its claws flashed through the pouring rain, heading straight for the siblings.
But the goblin brother reacted just in time.
In one desperate, instinctive movement, he grabbed his sister and turned his body to shield her.
The claws struck his back.
SLASH!
He staggered forward, a deep wound opening across his back as blood quickly mixed with the pouring rain.
Damn... that’s brutal.
For a moment, I thought it was over.
I thought the goblin had finally fallen, and that the pack would tear into their helpless prey.
But to my surprise...
He got back up.
The goblin screamed through the pain and forced himself upright, his legs trembling beneath him.
Adrenaline must have been flooding through his body, drowning out everything except the instinct to survive.
He couldn’t stop.
Not yet.
With trembling arms, he hoisted his sister onto his back and staggered forward.
Another wolf lunged.
The goblin ducked at the last possible moment.
He twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the attack, then pushed forward again.
And ran.
Straight toward me!
He screamed as he ran, his legs pumping desperately as he splashed through the mud.
He didn’t slow down.
He didn’t look back.
He simply kept running toward my castle as though his life depended on it.
And seeing that, something unexpected ignited inside me.
What the hell?
Is this guy an anime protagonist or something?!
This is ridiculous!
I’d killed countless goblins before.
I’d never really felt bad about it. As far as I was concerned, they were just greedy little monsters that wandered into my territory.
They were my walking bags of Points.
But this time... I suddenly found myself cheering for them.
COME ON!
COME ON! YOU’VE GOT THIS!
I raised my gate.
Get in! Hurry!
But then...
The goblin suddenly skidded to a halt.
My heart sank.
Because there it was – That damned skull-marked stick! The warning sign the elder goblin had planted in front of my gate!
And now, it was standing directly between the siblings and their only path to safety.
OH, GOD DAMN IT!
JUST FUCKING GET IN!
The goblin brother hesitated.
Rain streamed down his face as his eyes darted frantically between the ominous warning sign and the snarling monsters rapidly closing in behind him.
His sister clung tightly to his neck, her small arms wrapped around him as her entire body trembled.
Behind them, the wolves were getting closer.
Fast.
The goblin stood frozen at a terrible crossroads.
Death behind him.
Fear in front of him.
There was no time left to think.
So what would he choose now?
...
...
...
"YAAAAAARRRR!"
The goblin suddenly screamed and charged straight into my castle!
YES!
I immediately slammed the gate shut.
CLANG!
But just as the heavy portcullis descended, one of the wolves suddenly lunged forward with terrifying speed.
It managed to slip through the narrowing gap!
The beast landed inside my courtyard and skidded across the wet stone, water spraying beneath its massive paws.
It slowly raised its head.
Its lips curled back into a savage snarl, revealing rows of sharp fangs as drool dripped from its jaws.
The exhausted goblin siblings turned around.
They froze.
Their faces drained of color as they stared at the enormous beast.
Above them, thunder boomed through the storm like a war drum.
For a moment, everything went silent.
The wolf lowered its body, muscles tensing as it prepared to pounce.
*****
However...
Despite their overwhelming terror, the goblin brother still stood his ground.
He positioned himself in front of his little sister, shielding her with his own body as he gripped his wooden club so tightly that his knuckles turned pale against his green skin.
Both of them were trembling violently as they faced the monstrous wolf.
Even so, the brother clearly had no intention of going down without a fight.
But his body betrayed him first.
He had already lost too much blood.
With a weak gasp, his legs finally gave out, and he dropped heavily to his knees. His chest heaved as he struggled to remain conscious.
The wolf answered with a low, rumbling growl.
Then it began creeping closer.
One slow step at a time.
The goblin brother clenched his teeth and forced himself to remain upright, desperately trying to keep his body from collapsing completely.
Then something unexpected happened.
The little goblin sister suddenly stepped forward.
She placed herself directly in front of her injured brother and spread her small arms wide.
Her thin body trembled violently, looking as though it could barely withstand the force of the storm.
And yet... her eyes were fierce.
She stared directly at the approaching monster without backing down. It was as if she were saying with every fiber of her being:
"If you want to eat my brother... then eat me first!"
The goblin brother’s eyes flew open in shock and horror.
And I froze too.
I hadn’t expected something like this from either of them.
After all...
Were these really the same foolish, greedy goblins I had killed so many times before?
Even with death staring them directly in the face, their courage was undeniable.
Unfortunately, courage meant nothing to the wolf.
It wasn’t interested in their bravery.
It was hungry.
The massive predator suddenly lunged!
Both goblins instinctively turned away and squeezed their eyes shut, bracing themselves for the end they believed they couldn’t escape.
****
But of course.
I had no intention of letting them die that easily!
They were inside my castle now.
And that meant they were under my protection!!!
BOOM!
A massive slab of stone suddenly dropped from above and slammed into the wolf with tremendous force!
The beast went limp instantly.
Just like that. The threat was gone.
The goblins slowly opened their eyes.
For a moment, neither of them seemed to understand what had happened.
Then they looked down.
What greeted them was the motionless body of the wolf.
The sight sent another jolt of terror through them.
Both goblins shrieked and scrambled backward in panic, losing their balance and landing heavily in the mud.
Outside the gate, the remaining wolves reacted as well.
The moment they saw one of their packmates suddenly fall, their aggression faltered, replaced by fear and unease. They backed away cautiously, growling and baring their teeth as they stared into my courtyard.
And eventually, after a few tense moments, the pack finally turned around.
As if bidding farewell to their fallen companion, they released one final, mournful howl.
"Awooooooo...!"
The sound echoed through the stormy forest before gradually fading into the distance.
One by one, the wolves disappeared between the trees, leaving the two goblins alone inside my castle.